The Writer's Life

Ambition. Fame. Sex. Envy. Gossip. Money. Death. They re all here, in this dazzling book of quotations--many of them previously unpublished--from the diaries, journals, and notebooks of the world s greatest writers. Arranged chronologically, from the fervent declarations of youth to the serene reflections of old age, The Writer's Life spans twenty-three countries and four centuries to observe the entire spectrum of the human condition, with particular attention to the joys and agonies of literary endeavor. Eloquent, candid, brimming with passion, insight and wit, the result is an invaluable resource for any writer--or for anyone seeking expert instruction in the art of being human.

On inspiration: "I am going to write because I cannot help it."

--Charlotte Bronte

On fame: "I dream that my face appears on a postage stamp."

--John Cheever

On sex: "In petting there is no Mason-Dixon line."

--Delmore Schwartz

On keeping a journal: "Writing a journal means that facing your ocean you are afraid to swim across it, so you attempt to drink it drop by drop."